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tv   2020  ABC  February 15, 2018 10:00pm-11:00pm EST

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what would you think about revisiting "roseanne"? >> yes, yes, i'm in. >> i no longer attempt to stab people when i'm angry with them. ♪ >> we answer all the questions people have asked me for 20 years. >> i wanted to see what the connors were up to in 2018. >> i couldn't believe we were sitting there reading these characters. in front of the set. >> it was the absolute first thing i had ever done. >> 29 years ago, you're talking about. >> she said something to me, like, i don't know what i'm doing. and i was like, well, if she doesn't note what she's doing, then -- >> it's a mess. roseanne hates the script. the writer hates roseanne. >> i wanted total control. >> her name is on the freaking thing. >> the show was tapping into
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something that other scholes weren't. >> some of the fun stuff was dan and roseanne and jackie getting high. it still cracks me up every time i see it. >> all right, listen up, everybody. i got an important announcement to make. >> you're a woman trapped in a man's body? >> sharon stone. >> leo ddy ca dicaprio was on. >> he was a doll. >> i hope you don't show that clip. >> feels like a time warp. >> feels like being home again. >> "roseanne: the return." here's our host, joy behar. >> hello, everybody. it was a sitcom originally called "life and stuff" and that's exactly what america saw, every day family life headed by a mother unlike anything tv had ever seen. a brassy comic taking on the hottest topics in the funniest way imaginable. hey, sounds familiar. now, she's back with the rest of
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the connor crew, and no doubt, the new "roseanne" will be as groundbreaking and funny as ever. i >> i'm on my way to the set of the "roseanne" show for the "roseanne" show reboot. it's been 20 years. i'm so happy to see you! it's pretty amazing. it's very exciting, but it's very emotionally overwhelming. am i ready yet? >> it's september 2017 and it's a family reunion. >> you look great! >> ah, baloney. >> roseanne and the rest of her is cast mates are gathering in sound stage eight to read through the script. >> the name of the number one script, 20 years to life. >> not bad for a one-time struggling comic -- who parlayed her unique take on family life -- into a life changing appearance on "the tonight show." >> she's a housewife from denver, colorado. >> oh my god, i was anything but relaxed. >> being funny on "the tonight show" made your career if you were a comic.
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getting on "the tonight show" was the thing that every comic in los angeles was desperate to do. >> and this is her very first appearance on national television. would you welcome, roseanne barr. roseanne? >> i thought i was going to fall over. i'm obsessive, so, i must have done that seven-minute act, like, 150 times. i hate that word, housewife. i prefer to be called domestic goddess. >> it's very hard to understand how one spot on one show could make our break your career as a comedian. "the tonight show" was that spot. >> the carson spot leads to more work and more national exposure. >> what does it take to become successful and how tough it is for you, compared to men? >> i think it's harder for a man comic because they are generally not funny or intelligent. >> marcy carsey and tom werner meet up with roseanne and they get talking about the possibility of doing a
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sitcom that would focus on a character like the one roseanne talked about in her standup. >> it started with an idea about how interesting it would be to portray a family in which the mom was a working mom. >> i was inexperienced as far as acting and -- but i was a big fan of sitcoms all my life and i always pretended that i had "the roseanne show." >> marcy and i were developing this idea and we said, "well you know what, this may be a hard sell, actually." even though we had "the cosby show" on television, which was the number one show. nbc passed on it and then we brought it to abc. >> so, they cast it, and the first thing they do is they get john goodman. they need to get people who are really good, because roseanne has no acting experience. >> all i knew about roseanne barr that she was a rising comedian, and she was on a pizza hut commercial. that's the only time i'd ever seen her. >> how about we take the kids out for pan pizza and you can eat at the sal dad bar?
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>> we hit it off from the very beginning. we kind of made each other laugh. and that's why i felt like i had the job as soon as i left the audition. >> nobody else was ever considered. >> we kind of bonded around making each other laugh and you know, he has a working class background, too, so, i knew he was the guy, and as soon as i read with him, i knew we had a hit show. >> there's a 200-point game pulsating through these fingers. >> let's not waste it on bowling. and then the next person they brought in was laurie metcalf to play the sister. >> i had a real heavy theater background. zero tv. i allowed myself two weeks to be in l.a. and during those two weeks, i happened to go to the audition. so, i was literally in the right place at the right time. >> laurie was her tow truck driver. she'd nudge her into the marks and then let her go.
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>> you know, sort of steer her this way. a push here, push there. >> then meeting the kids, we auditioned a lot of kids. >> oh! >> i was eating chinese food with my family and i opened a fortune cookie and it said, "you will be graced with the presence of stardom." and then the phone rang and it was a callback for "roseanne." >> come on, just answer my question. >> it's none of your business. >> it is my business when you start sneaking out of this house to meet some guy that i would consider leaving your father for. >> i'd never been in an audition process before, other than for the school play. >> ha-ha. >> michael came in, he was 6. he looked like my family. and hi sits down, he goes, want to hear a joke? so, i'm like, yeah. >> so, i asked her, why did the turtle cross the road? >> i go, i don't know. >> and the punchline was, "chicken's day off."
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>> chicken's day off. i go, you're hired. >> thank you, honey. you're one of my three favorite kids. >> what about me? >> no. >> it was the absolute first thing i had ever done. it was a life-changer. >> when i met the entire cast, i think we went to a howard johnson to have our first table read, and seeing the family trickle in was just so exciting. >> she started it. >> okay, we know who started it. >> it was the first time i got this feeling, even though i was young, i just felt like, oh, we have something big here. >> they certainly did have something big here. a cast member who would later go on to become academy award-winner george clooney. >> we used to play basketball together. you know, he's that cute and charming and someone you want to pal around with in real life. >> george clooney was, you know, just the manager at a factory on a show and was a small character, and we all felt like he was magical and he was a great guy. >> all right, listen up,
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everybody. i got an important announcement to make. >> you're a woman trapped in a man's body? >> on-set, the cast finds chemistry and comedy, but behind the scenes, there is drama, lots of it. the show that will soon return for its tenth season was once in real danger of never making it through the first. >> they knew they had something really special here, but they also had somebody who wasn't used to the rules of television and who was not going to be easy to work with. >> my feet hurt and i got periodic bouts of depression, but other than that, i'm fine. >> i don't know if she told you this, but we were editing the pilot and roseanne called me up and i was just checking with her and i was saying how great the show was. and she said, i'm not sure i want to do anymore episodes. and i said -- what? >> big trouble. the network wants to pull the plug, roseanne hits the script, the writer hates roseanne, it's a mess. >> and that will begin a high stakes battle between two very powerful people on this show
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roseanne barr, its star, matt williams, its creator and executive producer, that will never be resolved. >> we had big fights. >> oh, yeah, we all were aware of that, yeah. i mean, we were right there. >> roseanne wanted him out. roseanne wanted control of the ship creatively. the tension was, you know, unbelievable. >> i remember he threw over a table and chairs and said, i'm not a scribe! >> she was promised a show to voice her point of view. and what was on the page at that point was really not that. >> the show premieres in october of 1988. as the cast watches the pilot, roseanne notices something is missing. >> because that is the first time that roseanne barr sees the credit, "created by matt williams." she believes that she is the creator of "roseanne." >> ah! >> roseanne had it tougher because, as a woman, coming into it, especially in those days,
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she really had to fight for the power. >> you were in the first year of "roseanne." it was a big hit. you played what, her boss? >> the first season she wanted it to be a specific way. matt williams did not. and there was a big fight and she eventually asked matt to leave. now, matt's a nice guy, and very tale talented. roseanne was right. >> and so, that is the question. is the show actually going to proceed without roseanne? >> people told me that he was keeping a list of all the offensive things i did, so that they could replace me, and it included belching and things like that. >> in the end, williams decides to leave the show over creative differences. >> matt williams goes on to create "home improvement," with tim allen, which is hugely successful. >> i knew i would have the last word and i always did. >> well, she's around and matt's not. there you have it.
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when we come back -- >> what? >> you're fired. >> from hot button topics on-set -- >> school's having a food drive for poor people. >> well, item them to drive some of that food over here. >> to getting really steamed off-set. >> i made the sign that i put on my door, these are the people that will be fired when the show goes to number one. one year later, they were all gone. it's time for the 'ultimate sleep number event' on the only bed that adjusts on both sides to your ideal comfort your sleep number setting. and snoring? does your bed do that? right now during the ultimate sleep number event, save 50% on the ultimate limited edition bed with adjustable comfort on both sides. plus 24-month financing. ends monday. visit sleepnumber.com for a store near you. woman: i think of all the times when i've had to put on a brave face as i struggled to hide my symptoms of depression. i'm on an antidepressant.
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why do i still have depression symptoms? i didn't want to let people down, so i hid my real feelings behind a mask. enough! no more. that's when i talked to my doctor. really talked. i stopped saying, "oh, i'm fine," and told her about living behind the mask. that's when she told me about rexulti. she said that rexulti, when added to an antidepressant, has been proven to help reduce symptoms of depression. without giving up any of the progress i may have made with my antidepressant. rexulti is not for everyone. call your doctor about unusual changes in behavior, worsening depression, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in those 24 and younger. elderly dementia patients taking rexulti have an increased risk of death or stroke. call your doctor if you have high fever, stiff muscles, and confusion to address a possible life-threatening condition or if you have uncontrollable muscle movements, as these may be permanent. rexulti has been shown to increase blood sugar in some people. other risks are increased cholesterol; weight gain;
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decreased white blood cells, which can be serious; dizziness on standing; seizures; trouble swallowing; and impaired judgment or motor skills. it was time to change the picture. that's why i talked to my doctor about adding rexulti. feel better about facing the world. pay $0 for your first prescription. details at rexulti.com. and it's packed with powerful cranberry nutrients that can help your body defend against certain infections. i'll be your body on cranberry juice! bring it on, bad stuff! still healthy. in your noise cancelling trheadphones?ry maybe not. maybe you could trust you won't be next to a loud eater. (eating potato chips loudly)
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♪ >> she was the queen of abc, she was the queen of television. >> in no time at all, roseanne has become a smash hit. it's the number one show in the country, reaching a staggering 30 million viewers. and roseanne has creative control. >> when the show hits number one, the head of abc entertainment, he sends a chocolate cake to the show. >> they gave me a chocolate number one. >> well, roseanne has heard, that when guys have number one shows, they don't get cakes. they get, like, has ratty's. they get, like, ferrari's. >> and they gave me a [ bleep ] chocolate number one. excuse me. >> she feels it's disparagement. >> but once bob eiger got on abc, boy, they started upping the gifts. >> you read my diary. >> i have to go to work. >> the question about roseanne
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was, also, was she representing a new kind of person? was she this newly empowered woman who was taking on the old guard? or was she just like a tyrant, like anybody else was, firing men and women? >> i made the sign that i put on my door, these are the people that will be fired when the show goes to number one. and one year later, they were all gone. >> when i took the job, my agent and my lawyer said, she will fire you. she fires everyone after a year. and i said -- okay. they said, it's going to be a hell of a year. she fired me. >> if you're working for roseanne, she's not going to settle for much at all. and rightly so. her name's on it, and it's her story. it's her real life. >> being roseanne, it was not the calmest of places. so, you had to kind of be ready, on your feet. we were often changing stories last minute. >> sometimes it was, hey, i met -- >> joan collins. >> yeah, met joan colins at a party and i want joan collins to play my cousin, so, write her
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into the episode this week. >> that's a nice outfit. >> thank you. that's a nice -- place. >> it was a little crazy. >> hi, arnie. >> hey, rosie. >> tom arnold is put in the writer's room. tom arnold is there to make sure that roseanne's wishes are followed. >> reporter: tom arnold will enjoy many titles on the sitcom. actor, writer, producer and perhaps most importantly, roseanne's real life husband. it's makes things tricky on set. >> roseanne taking up with tom arnold was a huge story. and all this is turning up in "people" magazine and all that stuff. it's all a big topic of conversation. >> you are such a leech. >> there was always some drama going on every week that i was there. >> wow! >> "roseanne" really did change things in tv. >> oh, no, not june cleaver.
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>> she wasn't your typical housewife. >> oh, let me do it, it's eas r easier. >> she wasn't your typical actress with this voice that could be very piercing and grating. >> d.j.! becky! dan, come here! >> that really blue-collar working class person. >> us regular people, we're paying more taxes than the rich people because they got all the lawyers to figure out the loopholes. i want to figure out loopholes. >> to represent working class as the noble class in this country, that just hasn't been the point of view. >> roseanne was the first woman i saw on television that was rejecting the social construct of what femininity was supposed to be. >> well, i always wanted to do a show that was complimentary to the viewers, who i felt were, you know, me when i was a little girl watching tv. give me this thing. make it about something that i can identify with, and she certainly did that. >> in my culture, it was always
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a strong mother-based home with a loving husband and some problems and loudmouth kids, so, i wanted that. >> come on, mom. >> and of course they faced money issues. >> our school's having a food drive for poor people. >> well, them them to drive some of that food over here. >> it was a show where you could see people paying bills, or the lights being turned out, because we weren't able to pay all our bills. or the games roseanne would play, how to shuffle around the bills. >> first, we send in the phone bill and we forget to sign the check. >> there you go. >> then they send the water bill to the electric company and electric bill to the water company. >> now you're cooking. >> and you know that charge card bill, it never even showed up. >> that's what roseanne did over and over again. she just constantly reinforced this idea that there were struggles to be had. >> what? >> you're fired. >> you don't have to have a sex just to have a boyfriend. >> i know. >> look what i found in david's room when i was cleaning today. >> oh, man, that looks like pot.
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>> it's set up as a comedy. everybody's loving it, you know. first season and everybody's relating to it. and now she starts introducing issues. >> i'm real sorry that you died before i got to tell you some stuff. >> the birth control stuff. >> it's time for me to -- um -- get some birth control. >> uh-huh. >> i think the episode where d.j. doesn't want to kiss the girl in the play is kind of pivotal american television. >> i just don't want to kiss her. >> hey. black people are just like us, they're every bit as good as us and anybody that thinks so is just a pick of cousin-dating, barefoot embarrassments to respectable white trash like us. >> we dealt with domestic abuse with jackie's character and her boyfriend. >> darlene says your back's all bruised up. >> it's nothing. >> let me see. >> no, don't. don't.
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>> everyone was terrified of tackling that subject. was it going to be too dark? was it going to turn people off, to watch that when they're tunes into a sitcom? >> that son oaf a bitch. >> you don't understand. >> he beat the crap out of you. >> no, he didn't. it's no big deal. >> i came back to her and i said, "powers that be are very concerned about this. don't want to do it." she said, "we're doing it." i said, "okay, great." >> roseanne was one of the first people in that arena that said no, you know, this is it. it has to be this good all the time or i'm not going to do it. >> don't say anymore. >> she was always willing to sacrifice some of the laughs in a sitcom for the depth, and i think people loved her for that reason. i did. >> they were in the comedy business. but it did give you an ongoing sense that this show was tapping into something that other shows weren't. and that's what made it special. next -- ♪ o say can you see >> she's singing, she's kissing.
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and we're dishing on the mystery of the two beckies. >> where the hell have you been? >> i was surprised that they recast me. fred would do anything for his daughter. get in, fred! even if it means being the back half of a unicorn. fear not fred, the front half washed his shirt with gain flings! and that smell puts the giddy in giddy up. that's because one gain flings pac has more freshness than a whole bottle of the other guy. gain. seriously good scent. in your noise cancelling trheadphones?ry maybe not. maybe you could trust you won't be next to a loud eater. (eating potato chips loudly) or you could just trust duracell. (silence) ♪ ♪ baby, ♪ i'm losing myust memind just a little ♪♪
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well yes! a soup in the right direction. ♪
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on the show, roseanne conner is struggling to make ends meet. >> that negative attitude of yours is going to get you nowhere. >> this is nowhere. >> but in real life, roseanne barr is on top of world. >> the domestic goddess became a hollywood diva. the embodiment of white trash with money. >> peek inside her home and you'll find a softer side of roseanne, as she showed my friend barbara walters. >> her kitchen bathed in the yellow hue of monet's house in france. you're acting as if you understand all the women, while you're living in a gorgeous house with money. >> no. i'm the woman who has been screwed every single way a woman can be screwed and have lived through it. and survived it and pulled through and triumphed. >> triumphed, she says. >> all the power jobs are taken. ben is turning the letters over. >> because while she's the star of a sitcom, her personal life with then-husband tom arnold is a soap opera. >> her life outside of the show, it did spiral and spiral. >> but they would never expect
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the fallout from roseanne singing the national anthem at a baseball game. >> i was the general partner of the san diego padres at the time. sand we were doing a night, actually celebrating working women. and the best thing i can say is, i thought it was a good idea at the time. i hope you don't show that clip. ♪ o say can you see ♪ by the dawn's early light >> roseanne gets out there to sing the national anthem, and she does not do what we would call a mellifluous version. ♪ and the rocket's red glare ♪ the bombing bursting in air >> she spits, and she grabs her crotch. like a player would, like adjusting their jock strap, and spitting. and that's kind of her whole gag after it.
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and people are aghast. >> by the time she walked out of that stadium, she was lucky, as someone said, to be alive. people hated her. the president of the united states criticized her. >> president bush called the comedian roseanne barr performance on wednesday night disgraceful. >> that's the why i feel about it. the fans felt the same way. >> i got out there and i sang about four notes and then i thought it was okay in the beginning and then everybody started booing me and i really went into this panic thing, and, you know, i sang "the star spangled banner" as best i could under the circumstances. >> my whole life was lived out with the tabloids. everything that's ever occurred, you get the phone call. she's always told everybody to be brave, and she really embodies it. >> it's a pitfall of being, you know, celebrated and then, them wanting to tear you down in the same moment. she was an easy target, you know? because she's so outspoken.
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>> it's just a beautiful morning today, it just makes me want to sing. >> ultimately, roseanne did what she does best. turn strife into satire. >> that woman is on the cover of every one of these papers. >> check it out. she put a voodoo curse on her ex-husband. >> she's a damn good singer, though. >> the series was so huge that roseanne broke many of the sitcom rules, like having multiple people play the same character. >> quiet, you. becky! >> i'm lecy goranson, and i play becky on "roseanne." >> well, you look incredible. >> really? >> yes. get in the kitchen. >> the becky. not the one and only, but kind of. >> did i hear right, we're going on vacation?
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>> ladies and gentlemen, the role of becky originated by lecy and later played by sarah chalke, then lecy will be played tonight by sarah chalke. >> i'm sarah chalke, and i was becky 2/4. >> we had lecy goranson playing becky and then when she left for school, sarah chalke played becky. >> and then i came in for a couple of years, and then she came back, and then i came back. >> where in the hell have you been? >> where the hell have you been? >> why does everyone keep saying that to me? >> seems like you've been gone for three years. >> it was the kind of thing you would see in a high school play. you know where you triple cast the lead in "once upon a mattress" so everybody gets a chance. >> disney world? i've always wanted to go there. >> aren't you glad that you're here this week? >> they had us all watching an episode of "bewitched" at the end. and roseanne says --
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>> i cannot believe that they replaced that darren. >> and laurie says -- >> they knew it was a hit show, they could get away with anything. >> and then i say -- well, i like the second darren much better. so, they always found ways to, you know, wink at the audience and not shy away from the fact of what we were doing. >> come here, i got it. where are you? come here. that's what's so great about roseanne. and the way she approaching everything in the work and on that show. but what alluded roseanne for so long was acceptance by her peers in hollywood. that moment finally came when she and co-stars john goodman and laurie metcalf are all nominated for emmys. >> laurie metcalf! >> i had received an emmy. she presented it. and i really quickly in my mind, i thought, is my name really on
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that card or did she just say it? because i wouldn't have put it past her. >> i had to make sure it really said it. >> metcalf wins, but the others don't, and soon, art imitates life on the set of roseanne. >> i was sitting there polishing my emmy, you know, in the living room on the set. and she and john were trying to steal it away from me. >> give me that. >> no. >> come on, i want it. >> no. >> give me it. >> no. >> come on, give it -- give it! give it, come on! >> what's going on? oh! >> roseanne would finally get her statue the following year. next, as the parade of famous faces marches on through -- >> i'm the only one here and the sign says dr. whitman, so, that's me. >> the cast comes to face the
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end. >> this has been a d.j. conner film. >> the show ended and i was devastated. >> when roseanne returns, >> when roseanne returns, literally. ! ♪ ♪ i'm walking on sunshine ♪ wow! ♪ i'm walking on sunshine ♪ wow! ♪ and don't it feel good ♪ hey! ♪ alright now ♪ and don't it feel good ♪ applebee's handcrafted burgers. any burger just $7.99. now that's eatin good in the neighborhood. muham[laughter & applause]atest! muhammad: i'm going to become champion of the universe! muhammad: me with my beautiful, colorful personality. muhammad: i'm good looking, clean living, cultured, muhammad: and i am modest. [laughter] muhammad: i am so modest, i can admit my own fault. muhammad: my only fault is muhammad: i don't realize how great i really am!
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[laughter] muhammad: because i am great, i am the greatest! ♪
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we can't now with more of "roseanne: the return." >> through nine seasons of award-winning television, "the roseanne show" welcomed so many
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stars and future stars along the way. >> i'm the only one here and the sign says dr. whitman, so, that's me. >> george klee nee. . >> i remember george klclooney came on early in his career. >> who wouldn't like to kiss johnny galecki? johnny and i have such a special connection. and when we get to work together, it's an added bonus. >> i'm sorry, am i being too loud. >> no, you're being perfect and you know it. >> johnny, my god. he's got so much money. i can't believe -- i'm angry for his success. no, i'm very happy for him, he's great. >> i tried an accent once and it didn't work for me. people kept asking if i was wearing a retainer. >> sandra bernhard, who is so funny. >> i specifically told arne to be here at 9:30. >> all these years later, people
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will comment on, you know, what i was wearing and loved the outfits and just nancy's outrageousness. it is really a big part of the lexicon of my career. >> james pickens, he's unbelievably talented. we knew that decades ago. >> even before i got the "grey's anatomy" gig. people would say, i remember you from "roseanne." you were chuck. >> you're a wideman, marvin. they brought on bob hope one time for a cameo. the audience just went up. >> we get so used to seeing great people that it just becomes an every day thing. sometimes you have to step back from it for awhile, look around and go, wow, i got to work with some of the best who did it. >> and martin mull, fred willard, who are just incredible together. and sharon stone. >> my friend toe btobey maguir on the show.
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joseph gordon-levitt. >> another one of those really talented people who goes to "third rock from the sun" and obviously his career has really blossomed. >> but the legacy of the show wasn't just in front of the camera. there was sitcom magic behind the scenes. >> we were writers on "roseanne", and we're the creators of "the middle." >> are you over 50? >> ugh, yes. >> do you feel overwhelmed with clutter? >> we loved the writing of "roseanne" so much. is we said, if we could bring that kind of authenticity, dealing with having that heart and yet having the comedy, all those are things that we brought from "roseanne" into "the middle." >> yeah, and not being afraid to write some serious situations with characters who don't have a choice always to quit their job. or if their credit card bill comes, it actually is a real problem for them. >> "the middle" is definitely rooted in "roseanne." >> "the roseanne show" became the roots of a comedy writing family tree. >> we had so many big writers
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that have created incredible shows. amy sherman-palladino. >> who obviously went on to create "gilmore girls." >> bruce helford. >> yeah, drew carey and multiple things. >> we owe a debt to our time at "roseanne." >> and we have an aftghan on th couch. >> it means home to us. >> i think that what frankie and roseanne have in common. they're not like june cleaver as far as their families go. they're not wearing pearls and a dress with an apron. they don't necessarily always have a kind word of an encouraging word for their kids. and not that they're mean, it's just sort of a realism with your kids that i think a lot of parents relate to. >> okay. here's your hat.
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backpack. lunch. i think what comes through in both spokes is the heart and the love. ♪ >> just as it opened, so many seasons around the kitchen table, "roseanne's" last episode included a gathering of the extended family. >> the dining table is sort of like the hallmark of where everybody gathers for all important events and i think that she used, you know, the kitchen and the table as the linchpin of all those stories. so, it made sense that you would resolve it all at the table. >> the final episode shocked the viewers with revealing dan's character was actually dead and the entire last season, you know, where they were rich and won the lottery -- >> we won the lottery! >> was all just a story roseanne made up. none of it happened. >> my writing is really what got
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me through the last year after dan died. i think i'll be a lot better now that this book is done. >> the sad ending hit hard for fans and for the cast. >> the show ended and i was devastated. maybe one of the hardest moments of my entire life. if you can picture everybody you know that you literally have built your world around for nine years suddenly, everybody has to leave. >> it was strange to be only, you know, 22 years old, start back at ground zero and have to build my life back up after having early success. >> the show ended, but life moved on. >> so, after the show, i did a bunch of other acting, "seinfeld." >> is there anybody else here but you? >> i'm alone. >> i did a few movies. and i focused on family. and i met my wife and got married. i really wanted my kids to have some kind of normal life and i wanted to be heavily involved as a dad, so, i went behind the scenes, i worked on the technical side of everything. and then i was a high school
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coach, mostly baseball and softball. i guess i look at it is, i got to chase my dream. so, i kind of always loved to help other people chase theirs. >> i had been commuting from canada, so, i moved back there. did my general arts degree. then when i was 24, i was like, okay, i'm ready, i'll go back. and then got lucky and got ask scrubs." and ended up staying. >> after the show was over, i did a few movies and i just started to work again and do different projects. >> lecy finished college and continues to act in film and theater. >> you go to sleep. >> john goodman's career includes dozens of blockbusters and independent hits. and roseanne returned to standup, started a farm and even ran for president. and laurie metcalf -- >> not expect everybody to do everything -- ahh! >> well, she's going for oscar gold next month.
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get ready for the return of "roseanne." rare home video. their first day back in the old house. you look amazing. and you look amazingly comfortable. when your v-neck looks more like a u-neck.., that's when you know, it's half-washed, add downy to keep your collars from stretching, unlike detergent alone, downy conditions to smooth and strengthen fibers. so next time don't half-wash it. downy and it's done. proud partner of the olympic winter games. (whispering) with the capital one venture card, you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day. not just airline purchases.
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we continue now with more of "roseanne: the return." >> after 20 years -- >> are you ready? >> yeah, this is -- >> the cast of "roseanne" is back to work. this is the first time they see the recreated set. >> that first moment when we walked in together -- i don't know that you can totally explain it. do you remember -- >> this is so -- >> look at that. >> it was just like walking into your home, because it was so familiar. >> hi, everybody! >> oh, my god.
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oh, my -- >> it was so crazy to walk into the set for the first time. it feels like such a time warp. everybody remembers the couch! and the afghan. >> cans of spam, all the knickknacks and the pictures on the walls and everything. it was startling to walk onto that set again after 20 years. >> i don't have the words to describe how it was. it was strange, exhilarating, the wallpaper was reproduced from photographs. the hair was standing up on my arms. like being home again. >> so, we had to have or corn, and we had to find the pickled eggs. >> where are the pickled eggs? >> we always had a big jar of pickled eggs in the pantry. and that we got on amazon. >> the first table read was surreal. >> oh, she's my tootsie -- >> just having everybody sit around the table like we used to and have sets behind us looking almost exactly the same. it was truly incredible. >> everyone was crying and
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laughing. and the network was excited, which never happens. >> kids laughing, roseanne curls up next to dan. >> just because they're up doesn't mean we have to give up, you know, pleasuring me. >> i don't have the time for the full symphony of love. >> it ended up being more of a magical, like, christmas morning. >> how did they all get here after 20 years? >> there's something i wanted to talk to you about for a long time now. >> what's that, kiddo? >> gosh. i don't know how to say this. i'm a talk show host. >> it was just a fluke moment on sara's talk show. we did a sketch at the top of the show and that felt like gold. >> you know, for a minute there, i thought you were going to tell me you were gay. just like falling out of bed, it was so easy. >> let's save something for halftime. >> john, would you ever consider
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a reboot of "roseanne?" >> oh, hell yes. >> i just thought, oh, maybe the cast will do this. so, i reached out to roseanne and she thought about it a little bit and we started to talk about it and it just started to feel right. >> i got a call from sara gilbert saying, "what would you think about revisiting 'roseanne'?" and i said, "yes, yes, when? where do we show up? i'm in." >> i came with a list of things that i would have to have in order to do it. i have a lot of anxiety. i don't bear stress well at 65. i can't be at odds with anybody anymore. too old. and she said, i can do it. and i said, all right, well, then do it. and she did. three weeks later, we had a deal at abc. >> the conners joys and struggles are as el haven't and as hilarious today as they were then. and there is no one better to comment on our modern america than "roseanne." >> we're at a point in time in our country where people are divided. where there's a lot of frustration and there's a lot of angst. there's a lot of economic frustration.
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is and i think the conners really signify that. >> after the elections, the jokes were just writing themselves. i will wake up with jokes in my head. dream jokes. we wanted to show an accurate depiction of america. >> and there are new faces. >> one of my favorite episodes was when d.j. wouldn't kiss the black girl in the school play. >> is it because she's black? >> well, you'll be mad if i say yes. >> no, we won't. >> yes, we will. >> we wanted to honor a lot of those really powerful story lines currently in this season, he married her and they have a child that's on the show. >> they are unlike any other family on television. again, in this run, like the first run, do not shy away from any topic. i think it's exactly what's needed. and it's so damn funny. i think people need to laugh right now. >> you're not seeing double? both beckys are back, on screen together for the first time. >> it was really fun. >> i play andrea on the show and i hire lecy to be my surrogate. >> a lot of our old friends are
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back, too, but what about everybody's favorite outfit, that chicken shirt? >> i don't know the origin story other than it's fabulous. >> the chicken shirt came about as a zwroek wijoke with wardrob. they thought it was ugly. but it ends up on the show and kind of grew. >> roseanne was wearing it and laurie was wearing it. ill wore it once. >> we thought it was so hilarious that it became a game of who could wear the chicken shirt and it rotated on different cast members. >> oh, the chicken shirt is definitely back. >> of course, the chicken shirt and the afghan, it wouldn't be "roseanne" without either of those. >> the end of the day, folks stick like to be told great stories. and the conners, they told great stories. i think it may even be funnier now, just because of the times we live in. what's going on, both socially and culturally and politically. i think this is probably perfect timing to reboot "roseanne." >> there's a lot of surprises in for people.
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i think we answer all the questions people have asked me for 20 years. >> here's a test for you. what's the one thing everybody remembers from "roseanne?" ♪ what happens now... ...determines what happens to the rest of the world. ♪ let's go! ♪ experience awe-inspiring performance in the 2018 lexus lc 500. this never gets old. experience amazing. [engine accelerating] see marvel studios' black panther in theaters february 16th.
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ah, the afghan on the couch. you know you had one. but it wouldn't have been "roseanne" without it. >> get off the couch. >> honny, get off the couch. >> shh. >> i believe the afghan jus it ? all you do is lay here on the couch staring at that stupid tv. we wanted an afghan like my grandmother used to make. come on, dan, we're missing a i. everybody's house in the midwest had one of those, so, it was like, part of having some realism in the show. >> you look great, mom. >> well,rewriting stuff. >> you don't even know what cop material is.
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>> somebody swiped it. they always g>> we spent a lot jumping over it and the set really, for us, feels like home the new "rose anne" during this year's oscars. and the brand new series starts march 27th right here on abc. i'm joy bail >> coming up on "action news," a huge out pouring of grief in
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parkland, for the victims of yesterday's florida rampage. traffic tragedy on a camden street. next. ♪ >> "action news," delaware valley's leading news program, with jim gardner. ♪ >> it was a crowd of well over a thousand people. mourners who wanted to give each other support amid countless points of light. it started with a

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